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RIGGER'S CROW 



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Two Poems. 


1 






BY 

FRANK L. WHITE, 






Author of 


-Takish Kate/' -Harry's 


Folly" and 






*»The Shade of Clio." 






^^ 




^/Tv- 






Copyrigfhted 1903 
By FRANK I.. WHITE. 


» > ' J ' 1 


3 > 3 J ' I 




1903 
WHITE & ECHOLS, 

Publishers, 
Rome, Georgria. 




3 3, J j>. 



THE LIGRARY OF 
CONGRESS. 


ly«o Copies 


Receive«< 


AUG 14 


1903 


G Cepynght 
CLASS^ CL 


Entry 
XXc.No 


COPY 


5" "•] 



P53545 



\^03 



PRE^F'AOE. 



"^I trust the readers of this little Boolilet will 
realize that quality, not quantity, is expected to 
constitute its Avoitli, ''Rigger's Crow"" is founded 
on facts, slightly colored with inventiveness, con- 
sistently blended with logic and research, while 
'■'IV is the outcome of observation pure and 
sim^jle, concentrated into verse. 

The Author. 



RIGGER'S GROW 



John Riggef pulls the throttle valve and has for 

twenty years 
On various locomatives — and like other en= 

gineers 
Butted billy goats and bulls, heifer calves and 

steers, 
And all the other kinds of stock that ofter in= 

terferes 
With rapid railroad traffic that probably ap= 

pears 
Bad ta aborigines, but good to pioneers. 



John Rigger is a railroad man with all the term 

implies. 
And very few cczurances afford him much 

surprise, 
For experience has rendered him plegmatical 

and wise. 
And equal to emergencies whenever they arise; 
But supersticicn still prevails and frequently 

defies 
The most rational philosophy intelligence sup= 

plies. 



Ill 



John Rigger has a fireman who bears the name 

of Joe, 
Who feels leary of a rabbit's foot, a black cat 

or a crow, 
And knows a hundred hoodoos the Kluklux 

used to know, 
And talks of haunted houses where the evil 

spirits go 
To participate in devilment and wander to and 

fro 
And argue pro and con their lots of misery and 

woe. 

IV 

Jchn Rigger pulled a heavy trcin one cold 

December day. 
And was running forty miles an hcur when he 

heard his fireman say, 
♦*Did you see that flirty Hr. Crow ? I think he's 

mighty gay, 
For 1 never saw a crow before do about that 

way. 
And he's a sho' nuff bad luck bird, and I ain't 

gwine to stay 
If he lights on this engine, 'cause he's makin' 

bad luck play." 

4 



John Rigger told his fireman his notions were 

absurd, 
For luck had nothing in the world to do with 

any bird 
Any more than wind should always blow upon 

the twenty third, 
Or the moon should full en Friday's if Widow 

Jones preferred. 
**Well, boss," spoke up the fireman, "you'd 

better take my word, 
'Cause I am simply tellin' you what I have 

always heard." 



VI 



John Rigger thought his fireman a superstitious 

crank. 
And said no more but turned around, appearing 

very blank 
About the time the curious crow performed a 

daring prank, 
And lit upon the outer rim of the engine's 

water tank, 
The fireman quickly seized him by his thin and 

slender shank. 
And started in to break his neck and throw 

him down the bank. 



VII 



John Rigger stopped the fireman just in the 

niche of time, 
And prevented him from finishing an awful 

ugly crime, 
That surely would have spread despair through 

every genial clime; 
And nipped the bud of fantasy while in its 

early prime 
And robbed me of the subject I am weaving 

into rhyme, 
I feel disposed to offer as both truthful and 

sublime. 



Vlil 



John Rigger thought immediately a crow 

would tickle Cox 
More than a baby elephant, a Jackass or an 

ox. 
So he took the bird of raven hue and put it in 

his box 
Where he had a suit of overalls and an extra 

pair of socks, 
A lunch can and a monkey wrench and three or 

four switch locks. 
And one of R. H. IngersoH's little dinkey 

clocks. 



IX 



John Rigger saw his fireman shake his kinky 

pate, 
And saw his china eyeballs turn white and 

and dilate, 
And heard him mumblesomething that seemed 

to indicate 
He predicted frightful trouble he feared to con= 

template. 
But he couldn't tell exactly hew Icng they 

would have to wait 
Before the evil bird would seal their inevitable 

fate. 



John Rigger had a level head and refused to 

entertain 
A warning all great reasoners invariably ex= 

plain 
As exaggerated reverence arising from a 

brain 
Conditions and environments have rendered too 

insane 
To comprehend the origin or significance of 

pain, 
Or the physical requirements for generating 

rain. 

7 



XI 



John Rigger rode one twenty-six ani was 

climbing: up a knoll, 
When he thous^ht about ill omens and a shiver 

o'er him stole. 
So he called out to his fireman to shovel in 

more coal, 
And he would make her turn her wheels as fast 

as she could roll. 
But he hadn't g^one quite half a mile when she 

shook from pole to pole. 
And f loads of steam cam^ bursting from a 

dreadful looking hole. 



XII 



John Rigger quicklyshut her of and turned on 

all his air. 
Then next he looked across the cab but the 

fireman wasn't there: 
He looked again but couldn't see the fireman 

anywhere. 
The train stopped very nicely and he alighted 

filled with care. 
To find she'd burst a packing ring— a happen= 

ing very rare, 
And would have to go to Birmingham and lay 

up for repairs. 

8 



XIII 



John Rigger fcund the packing ring cculd not 

be used to pack 
Because the cutoff had received a dangerous 

looking crack. 
He then cbf erved his lirenrgnccnTing hobbling 

up the trsck, 
Somewhat the worse for wear and tear with 

mud a!l o'er his back, 
Looking very different from a thoroughbred 

crg.cker=jack 
Returning from the sinking of a second 

Merrimac. 



XIV 



John Rigger still philesophied and still refused 

to blame 
A fowl for bing feu! enough to p^rp^trate 

a shame, 
But the fireman was positive he served in 

5atan's name. 
And if nothing had have happened he ment 

evil just the same. 
John Rigger took his engine in all crippled 

up and lame, 
But found the crow as sprightly as the moment 

when he came. 

9 



XV 



John Rigger had a room=mate he very slightly 

knew, 
And the hour was early morning, about twenty 

after two, 
And the room=mate snored lustily as room= 

mates often do ; 
As though he late embibed a bibe of good old 

'♦riountain Dew." 
John gave the crow his liberty so he might 

turn a few 
Devilish performances regardless of a 

cue. 



XVI 



John Rigger then blew out th^j light and 
tumbled into bed. 

But lay awake to listen to what his room- 
mate said. 

When the crow began to walk about and 
ramble o'er his head. 

And pretty soon he raised a yell; enough to 
wake the dead, 

And threw the unsuspecting crow against a 
door that led 

Into a room where roomers walked about with 
stealthy tread. 

10 



XVII 

He then began to hollo for a match to strike a 

light, 
And swear he was a gentleman and had a 

perfect right, 
To go to bed or rise again at any time of 

night, 
But something just had bit his nose, a deadly 

poison bite. 
At last he struck a match but the crow was out 

of sight 
Around behind the bureau where it had taken 

flight. 

xvin 

He then took Jolin his nose to show him where 
*twas bit, 

And wondered what the Devil could possibly 
have done it, 

While briny tears come in his eyes when he 
squeezed a purple pit, 

Which showed the crow was accurate in ac- 
complishing a hit: 

John Rigger said he hardly thought a vampire 
would commit 

Assault upon a ruby nose so exceedingly ex= 
qirisite. 

11 

LefC. 



XIX 



The room=mate then went back to bed and 

tried to go to sleep, 
But every time he shut his eyes he saw great 

serpents creep 
Across his bed, while monkeys by the thousands 

seemed to leap 
Over an awful chasm, so big and dark and 

deep, 
It was utterly impossible to take the slightest 

peep 
Into the great abyss, with banks slimy, slick 

and steep. 



XX 



The cold wind whined bsnea.th the eaves, the 

hours dragged slowly on, 
Filled with grave anxiety, till the cracking of 

the dawn 
Informed the restless roomer the shades of 

night had gone, 
And misty morning's curtain was being gently 

drawn, 
ReveaHng true but gradually in attitude of 

scorn 
The demon bird of ebony with beak as sharp as 

thorn. 

12 



XXI 



Perched upon a chair back, with firey gieaming 

eye, 
Scrutinizing ardently the man so sore and 

dry. 
He naturaHy neglected to ask the reason 

why, 
But seized the opportunity determining to 

try 
His reliable horse=pistol, exclaiming, "damn 

you, die," 
As he blazed away, but missed the bird and 

broke a jug of rye. 

XXII 

John Rigger heard the pistol shot and smelled 

the powder smoke 
About three seconds previous to the motnent 

when he woke 
To see his iratitlc room=mate hurl a chunk of 

coke, 
And smash a doHar window pane that inten£!= 

lied the Joke, 
Because the crow Hew to the hole and hopped 

through with a croak. 
The very instant Rigger saw his jug of Bourbon 

broke. 

13 



XXIII 

And gocd old mellow Bourbon running wild 

upon the floor, 
Lost to all the lips of men — lost forever more; 
A sight that seared his feelings and made him 

very sore, 
And then his room mate frowned a frown and 

very loudly swore, 
While heavy footsteps in the hall brought 

knocks upon the door 
Which signified a Cop had come the trouble to 

explore. 

XXIV 

John Rigger opened up the door and let the 

Copper in 
With shining star and helmet and buttons to 

the chin, 
And loads of 5en=Sen on his breath to hide the 

smell of gin. 
John Rigger pleaded innocent of e'en the 

smallest sin. 
But his room mate's tale of buzzards made him 

feel disposed to grin. 
When the Judge remarked ^'I'll let you off, but 

your yarns sound mighty thin." 

14 



XXV 

John Rigger still maintains his n^rve and 

minds his P's and Q's^ 
And advocates the teachings the greatest 

thinkers use 
Concerning crows and rabbits feet and other 

small hoodoos 
That conflict with philosophy and strong 

material views, 
But he realizes thoroughly a crow caused him 

to lose 
The friendship of his room mate and a jug of 

Christmas booze. 

-^^^^ 

I saw it on the corner in a Louisiana town, 
I saw it roll a cigarette and strain an awful frown : 
1 saw it light the cigarette and give a gentle suck, 
I saw the smoke blown from its nose and marked its 

placid look. 
Its hat sat back upon its head, its hair hung on its 

brow. 
Its tie was red, its collar high and white as driven 

snow, 
Its clothes were cut in recent shape, its shoes were 

very tan, 
And as I looked and saw I thought of the origin of 

man. 

15 



I saw it in the parlor of an e]e»-ant hotel, 
I overheard remarks it made to a very gushing belle. 
[ heard it say it "seen her*' that evening out in town 
And ask her where she'd "been at'' with beautiful Miss 

Brown. 
I heard it say that Hamlet was an "opera out of sight" 
And say it had the tickets for the following Friday 

night. 
T marveled at its grammar and its knowledge of the 

stage, 
And then I thought again of a prehistoric age. 



Then 1 saw it standing at the bar in a very swell 

saloon, 
I paw it drinking Absyntlis and heard it hum a tune, 
And mingled with the tune w^ere words I heard it as 

it sung, 
"Baby, gim me your tongue — gim me your tongue." 
Oh, what a lovely lot of brains it surely did possess, 
I know its mother fondled it and vainly tried to guess 
What a wonder it would be when it become a man, 
And all the world is wondering if it ever can. 




16 



AUG X 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



'TAKISH Kj 




018 477 435 



A POEfl, 



By PRANK b. WHITE, 

Is a marvelous story that charms and enrap- 
tures the reader, with morals and mystery, 
passion and youth, romance and history, 
honor and truth. 

TAKISH KATE 

18 a history of the discovery of Gold in the Klondike, 
glittering: with poetic splendor, treated with 
artistic taste, bristling with defying candor, 
breathing motive pijj[;e and chaste. 

Once a ragged, hungry lone gold-seeker met an un- 
sophisticated Indian maiden in the firelight at a 
"Squaw Dance" in Alaska. She pitied much his mel- 
ancholy look and fed him on a bird soup, cooked with 
herbs and berry seed. He ate and then related many 
thrilling stories of grapples with the shaggy grizzly 
that caugh the maiden's wild romantic fancy. So she 
told him she would make him rich and glad if he would 
take her for hia own squaw and tell her those same 
stories always. He swore and promised very firmly she 
should always be his squaw. He then was shown the 
gold fields where Eldorado and Bonanza mines are 
now located. That same ragged, lone gold seeker is 
now one of the wealthiest bankers in San Francisco, 
California. But an Indian squaw was left in 
Klondike to wander o'er the frozen mountains with a 
starving pappoose on her back. These and other 
potent facts form the plot of TAKISH KATE. 

WHITE & ECH0L5, Rome, Qa. 



